Contingency Plan for Drought Like Situation in NEH Region

In view of the drought like situation in NEH region ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region (ICR RC NEH), Meghalaya organized a one day Awareness-cum-Training Programme under NICRA here today.

Inaugurating the programme, the Chief Guest, Mr. Daniel Ingty, Director (Horticulture), Government of Meghalaya lauded the efforts of ICAR RC NEH for contemplating such a time befitting programme which awakened the farming community regarding the climate resilient technologies and contingency plan for mitigating the prevailing drought like situation in Meghalaya.

On this occasion the scientists of ICAR RC NEH Region discussed about the contingency measures in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and fishery sector for adaptation under climate stress condition through brief presentations followed by Farmers’-Scientists’interaction

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Chairing over the interaction session, Dr. S. V. Ngachan, Director, ICAR RC NEH suggested farmers for adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture by following the recommended mitigation strategies. During the programme some critical inputs like water lifting pump along with low cost plastic pipes, seeds, planting materials, vitamins and minerals mixtures for livestock were distributed among the farmers as an input support system to tackle drought like situation due to long dry spell of monsoon.

Expressing concern over the present climate change Dr. N. S. A. Azad Thakur, Principal Scientist and Head, Division of NRM informed that a suitable contingency plan has been chalked out by the institute keeping eye upon the recent climatic aberrations which has been disseminated to stakeholders through SMS on KIRAN portal (www.kiran.nic.in) of the institute.

Earlier Dr. A.K. Tripathi, Principal Scientist and Head, Division of Social Science spelt out the importance of sensitizing the stakeholders with suitable contingency plans for addressing the problems under drought like situations.

More than 180 farmers and farm women covering most of the districts of Meghalaya along with some NGOs working in agriculture sector, state extension functionaries, media agencies and scientists participated in the awareness programme.